Clinging to Insanity
by Zeada
Summary: "He will be her Oswald and she will be his Lacie."


Zeada moaned in pain and opened her eyes slowly. "Ah~," said a voice, "she's awake now~!" Zeada glanced to her right. An albino man smiled back at her.

"Who… are you?" she asked. Her eyes widened. What was wrong with her voice? Why did she sound so timid? What happened? The man chuckled.

"I am Xerxes Break, servant to the Rainsworth household," he replied. Zeada sat up, noticing her torso was covered in bandages.

"What happened to me?" she asked. Dang, she sound like a weak little girl! The man, Xerxes, popped a piece of candy into his mouth.

"Sorry~," he said, "I need to tell Milady that you've awoken~!" He got up and left the room. Zeada tore the covers off of her body and ran to the nearest reflective surface. Her eyes went wide when she saw that the normally white seal was pitch black, scrawled down the right side of her neck like a tattoo. "Trying to escape~?" Zeada went rigid. She clapped a hand over her seal and whirled around.

"Wh-why would I want to escape?" she asked.

"You are an Illegal Contractor, are you not?" Xerxes stepped towards her and leaned down.

"'Illegal Contractor'?" Zeada repeated, confused.

"Do you not remember your time in the Abyss?" Zeada sunk to her knees, gripping the sides of her head.

* * *

_"Do you want to make a contract?" asked a girl with blood red hair. _

_ "Contract?" Zeada questioned. The girl grinned. _

_ "Yep!" she said. "Then you and I can get out of this place!" She gestured to darkness around her. "What d'ya say? It's really simple on your part! All you have to do is drink my blood and say my name!" Zeada's face contorted in disgust. _

_ "Drink your blood? Do I look like a vampire?" The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. _

_ "Well, you do have a pair of fangs," she replied. Zeada's eye twitched. _

_ "That's 'cause I'm a hanyou!" she snapped. "Meaning half—"_

_ "Demon, I know," the girl cut Zeada off. She bit down on her hand hard enough to draw blood. _

_ "I never said I'd—" The girl shoved her bloody hand into Zeada's mouth. _

_ "My name?" she asked sweetly. _

_ "Royal Blood," Zeada, as if in a hypnotic trance, answered._

* * *

"...You idiot Clown! You killed her!" yelled a feminine voice.

"…I did no such thing, Alice~," protested a masculine voice.

"…If you idiots haven't noticed, she's waking up," deadpanned a male. Zeada opened her eyes for the second time that day. She was back in bed, although the room was full of people now. Zeada saw a man with wavy black hair and golden eyes. Was he like her? She saw a blonde boy with emerald eyes, he looked absolutely smitten. A purple-eyed brunette was glaring viciously at Xerxes, who simply smiled in return. Last, but not least, was a girl with light brown hair and magenta eyes.

"Who are all you people?" Zeada asked with a glare. The blonde boy rushed to her side.

"I am Oz Vessalius!" he greeted. Zeada scooted away from the child. "This is Gilbert," he pointed at the black-haired male. "That's Alice," his finger moved to the brunette. "That girl's Sharon," he pointed at the magenta-eyed female. "And I'm sure you've met Break."

"Now that she knows who we all are," Break began, turning to face Zeada, "she can die." Zeada froze. Die?

_"Hey… let me take over for a while, Zeada…" _Zeada's eyes turned purple, and she grinned wickedly. "Kill my new Contractor? You Pandora punks ruin all the fun," she said.

"Oh my~," Break drawled, lifting his cane. "Looks like Zeada's Chain has come out~." He hit the teen…hard. Zeada coughed, snapping back to her senses. Lying some distance away was the red-haired girl. The girl stood.

"Bloody Pandora…" she growled.

"Pandora?" Zeada asked.

"Now look what you've done," Break pouted, hitting the crimson-haired female. "You've gotten her asking unnecessary questions." The Chain let out a cry of pain. Zeada felt helpless.

_You stupid seal! _She mentally raged. _Who put you here? _"Stop!" she snapped. The crimson-locked girl glanced at Zeada gratefully. Break blinked at her.

"Oh~?" he asked. Zeada glared as menacingly as she could in her state.

"Royal Blood, quit provoking people," Zeada said sharply. Break's eye widened.

"Well, this isn't good at all~!" he said, raising his cane again. Royal Blood flinched. "How long will this one be here?"

"Longer than the rest!" Royal Blood spat.

"I believe that Miss…" Sharon trailed off, realizing that she didn't know the name of the raven-haired girl.

"Zeada." Everyone blinked. That surely was an odd name. "It's odd, I know," she sighed.

"How exactly…" Sharon trailed off.

"Is it spelled? Did it come about?" Zeada sighed once more. "My name and its oddness aside, what is Pandora?" Sharon smiled warmly.

"Why don't we answer questions in the morning, you look exhausted." Zeada glared harshly.

"I'm used to staying up late," she protested. "I hardly sleep." Break sighed and plopped down on the bed.

"On the surface, Pandora is an organisation that under the direct control of the government and regulates the peace, but in reality it was founded by the four main dukedoms to research the Abyss and deal with accidents involving it," the eccentric albino explained. Zeada nodded in understanding.

"Who are the four main houses?" she asked. Break laughed.

"Curious, aren't you?" he said. "The four main houses are the house of Rainsworth, the house of Nightray, the house of Vessalius, and the house of Barma." Zeada nodded once more. "Milady was quite right earlier," he noted, "you do look exhausted." Zeada glared. Break shooed everyone out of the room and left the royal blue-eyed teen to sleep.

Zeada sighed and fell back upon the mattress. "What's going to happen to me here?" she mused aloud. Royal Blood sat down next to her.

"I don't know," the Chain replied honestly.

"What is so special about you?" Zeada asked, rolling her head to the side. Royal Blood glared.

"I am the most famous Chain for sending people into the Abyss," she said coldly.

"How so?" Zeada prodded.

"It doesn't take long for the incuse to make a full rotation for my contractors."

"Why is that?"

"Because I am the Chain that contracts other Chains." Zeada cocked her head to the side. Royal Blood arched a crimson eyebrow. "You aren't freaking out or crying," she noted. "Why?" Zeada sat back up and unwrapped the bandages from her arms.

Long, grotesque scars ran along the underside of her arms. From her wrist to her elbow. Her right had equally grotesque horizontal scars across the main vertical one. "As you can see, I'm slightly suicidal," the half-human said. Royal Blood sat, mouth agape, staring at the teenager. "You aren't sharing my bed, go find another room," Zeada said, rolling over onto her side.

"Or I could just revert to my other form," Royal Blood suggested. Zeada was already fast asleep. The Chain sighed and turned into a small crimson bell choker.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey!" sung an energetic voice. Zeada squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to make the voice go away. "Aw~! C'mon, Zeada!" the voice whined. Zeada was confused. How did this annoying stranger know her name? She rolled over. Weird, she thought, since when do pillows feel like legs?

"Ah!" Zeada sat up, realizing that her head was resting in annoying guy's lap. She glanced around her. Beautiful red roses littered the grounds, soft plush grass was beneath her body, and a cloudless blue sky allowed the sun to shine at full force. "Where am I?" she asked, standing.

"You're in the Vessalius rose garden," a blonde explained. Zeada thought he looked quite like that Oz boy she had met earlier. The man had long blonde hair that he kept pulled into a rather long braid, striking emerald eyes, a fair complexion. He wore a green coat, a ruffled white blouse, and white breeches.

"Why am I in the Vessalius rose garden?" she demanded, glaring at the man. The man pouted, crocodile tears welling up in his eyes.

"I am a poor lonely man in need of company," he said sadly. Zeada took about three large steps away. The man followed her. "I mean no harm, dear Zeada," he chuckled.

"Look here, Blondie," Zeada growled, "I don't know how you know my name, but I suggest you tell me yours."

"I knew there was something that slipped my mind," he laughed. "I am Jack Vessalius," he introduced, taking Zeada's pale hand and kissing the back of it. Zeada jumped back and hissed at him. "I was only being polite," Jack pouted. Zeada growled, taking refuge behind a rose bush.

"You are a very creepy man," she said.

"You wound me, Fair Maiden!" Jack exclaimed overdramatically. Zeada growled once more, baring her sharpened canines.

"That is what I mean!" she snapped.

"You're rather harsh, Zeada," Jack said. Funny, he wasn't behind her a second ago.

"Leave me alone!" Zeada exclaimed, jumping away from him. "And if you're so desperate for company, leave here!" Jack laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders. Zeada snarled up at him.

"I can't, my dear Zeada," he said, "for I can no longer walk amongst the living." Zeada groaned. "What is wrong, my child?"

_First I'm a fair maiden and now a child? Make up your mind, Creeper! _Zeada's right eye twitched. "I'm in Limbo, aren't I?" she ground out. Jack nodded happily.

"Alas, our time must come to an end," Jack lamented, retracting his arm from her shoulders. "Someone else wishes to speak with you." The ground below Zeada began to fall to pieces. Jack stepped back. "See you soon, my Fair Maiden!" he called.

Zeada's breath was thoroughly knocked out of her as she landed on hard, tile flooring. She was in a room. A room like someone would see in a tower of sorts. "A human!" many voices yelled out. They repeated the phrase over and over again. Zeada ground her teeth in annoyance. She was starting to get paranoid. Too many voices, too many voices, too many—

"Quiet down everyone, you are scaring her," a melodic voice said, stilling every marionette-like doll in the room. Zeada glanced up to see a girl clothed in pure white waltzing towards her. She stopped in front of Zeada and sat down. "Hello, Zeada," the child said. Her voice flowed throughout the room like a haunting melody.

"Who are you?" Zeada asked.

"The human should show more respect!" one of the dolls exclaimed.

"It's all right," the colour void girl said gently. "I am the Will of the Abyss, but you can call me Alice," she told Zeada. "And I have something special to show you!" she exclaimed happily, standing once more. She danced over to a shelf and picked up a doll. This doll was more intricately crafted than the rest. Zeada's eyes widened when she noticed that the doll's eyes flashed from royal blue to an ethereal amber.

"That's—"

"You," the girl said. "To be more specific, this doll contains your sealed hanyou powers. I want to see how long you can last without them!" Zeada scowled. So this girl was the reason she was so weak, so helpless. "I'll decide when you get them back! For now, it is morning in the real world, so you must be going. I'll see you another night!"

* * *

Zeada moaned, sitting up in bed. Alice was right, it was, in fact, morning. Zeada huffed and fell back. "I hate the sun," she muttered, "with a passion."

"What's so bad about sunlight?" asked a familiar voice. Zeada sat back up. Was everyone here a creeper? She looked over the edge of her bed to see Break on the floor, half of his body under her bed. "Aw~!" he pouted. "You're supposed to scream~!" Zeada replied not, but she did throw her pillow at Break's face.

"Get out," she said monotonously.

"But Milady Sharon has asked me to give you your new clothes," he said, fully emerging from under her bed. Zeada sighed.

"Fine, just hurry up and do it," she said trying to appear cold and pissed off. _Dang it! Stupid seal! _Break laughed and held out a package and Zeada warily took it. _Please don't let it be a dress, please don't let it be a dress, please don't let it be a dress! _She mentally pleaded. There are no words to describe the immense relief that washed over Zeada as she lifted the lid. She carefully pulled out every article of clothing the box contained.

She first laid out a black leather tuxedo-like jacket, next came a purple shirt with royal blue buckles substituting for buttons, third came a pair of black pants and three purple belts. Zeada grimaced when she saw the corset. There was no way in Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Limbo, Valhalla, Olympus, or any other place of significant importance concerning the afterlife that she would be wearing that atrocity. She would be perfectly happy with the bandages that she usually wore.

"Out," Zeada said, pointing at the door. Break blinked. "Out," she repeated, firmer this time. Break pouted.

"Fine, fine~," he sighed, waving his sleeve-covered hand lazily. "I'll just see you later~." He stepped into the wardrobe and Zeada arched an eyebrow.

_Where's he going? Narnia? _She chuckled at the thought of Break conversing with Mr. Tumnus at the Lamppost. Once her shirt was off, she noticed the black tattoo-like marking above her heart. "What's this?" she questioned. It looked like a clock, with both hands at twelve, the centre of it void.

"It's an incuse," said a female voice. Zeada quickly covered up, blushing bright red. "Don't worry," Royal Blood said with a chuckle, "I won't tell anyone." Zeada zipped up the bandages she had personally sewn together. The function was about the same as a corset's, but her bandages allowed for breathing room. "The incuse moves the more the Contractor uses the Chain's power. At this point in our contract, if a Pandora agent were to kill me, you would be fine, but," she paused and looked at Zeada intently, "if you use my power often, we become too connected and to kill me would kill you." Zeada nodded, buckling the last buckle on her shirt. The latter turned to face her Chain.

"Tell no one about my—"

"How naïve do you make me out to be?" Royal Blood asked, glaring harshly. "I promised already." Zeada smiled slightly.

"Thank you," she whispered. By now, all she was missing were her shoes.

"I would wash up before collecting your footwear," the Chain suggested. Zeada nodded and went into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth.

Zeada examined her reflection. Her ebony hair was naturally unkempt, sticking out at random points, even after she had brushed it, and there was a lot to brush. Her hair was almost as long as she was tall. Zeada was hearty 160 centimetres tall (5' 3") her black mass of hair flowed down to the middle of her knees. Her eyes were a very rare shade of royal blue, deep and hypnotizing. She opened her mouth to find a rather sad sight. Her fangs were so dull. More shocking than that was the absence of the natural black that stained her fingernails. Normally her nails were claw-like, but now they were nothing more than plain Jane fingernails.

_Seems like Alice knows her seals, _Zeada thought bitterly. With a rather loud, disappointed sigh, Zeada trudged out of the bathroom.

"What's your issue?" Royal Blood asked, arching an eyebrow at her Contractor.

"I feel so painfully normal!" Zeada lamented. Royal Blood rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, don't you want to get shoes?"

"I lived without them for so long it doesn't really matter if I have them or not," Zeada said with a shrug. "I am getting sick of this room, however," she added. "Let's go." The raven-haired girl left the room, closing the door behind her. She stopped once she got halfway down the hall. "I have no clue where to go…"

"Just follow me and you'll be fine~!" said an oddly familiar voice from right next to her ear. Oh, it seems Break was back from Narnia. She glared at the albino as he pulled out another piece of candy.

_Probably ate all the Queen's Turkish Delight, _she thought, resisting the urge to chuckle.

"Are you coming or not~?" Break called from farther up the hallway. Zeada jogged until she was walking beside the clown. After going about four more hallways, they entered a room where Sharon was having her morning tea.

"Good morning, Zeada!" the girl greeted. "I trust you slept well."

"If you count meeting a very happy dead guy, then yes, I slept quite well," Zeada said.

"'Happy dead guy'?" Sharon inquired, cocking her head.

"Jack Vessalius," Zeada clarified, sitting down at the table. Sharon froze mid-sip and Break's smile faltered.

"This certainly is interesting~!" Break laughed, hopping up to sit on the table. "The new Illegal Contractor can talk to dead people ~!" Zeada glared. "Now," he pulled a charm out of his sleeve, "I want you to work under me at Pandora."

* * *

**AN: This follows the manga, it may not seem like it, but it does. There are no pairings in this fic! Number one reason: Zeada's boyfriend comes from another anime/manga. Number Two: The only pairing I shamelessly support in _Pandora Hearts_ is Vincent/Ada. Everyone else is fine just as they are. That should be all for this chapter. Please review? **


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